Philippine militants in Marawi include foreign fighters
Philippine militants in Marawi include foreign fighters: Six of the jihadists, which include Indonesian and Malaysian citizens, were killed by the army in its operation to drive the rebels out of the city of Marawi.
In the offensive attack helicopters and special forces have been deployed. This has been a rare admission by the authorities that local jihadists are working with international groups.
Marawi which is located in Lanao del Sur province the southern island of Mindanao is mainly a Muslim city. Maute group has a strong hold in the city. The group has pledged allegiance to so-called Islamic State (IS).
Fighting had erupted after the army initiated a failed raid to capture a top militant leader. According to sources at least 11 soldiers and 31 militants have been killed by the violence.
On Tuesday Philippine’s President Rodrigo Duterte had imposed martial law in Mindanao in response to the violence.
Under the Martial law military is allowed to be used in order to enforce order, the law also gives power to the military to detain people without charge for long periods.
According to solicitor general of Manila what used to be domestic rebels have now subscribed to the ideology of IS.
According to Jose Calida “What is happening in Mindanao is no longer a rebellion of Filipino citizens. It has transmogrified into an invasion by foreign fighters, They want to make Mindanao part of the caliphate.”
According to Sidney Jones, director of the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict in Jakarta “It’s crucial that the government acknowledges that there is a serious IS problem in the Philippines” She explain that a much better co-ordination between local and national authorities was needed to deal with the situation.
For More News:
Visit HumSub TV